Ohio University students continue to win highly competitive scholarships and fellowships

ATHENS, Ohio (April 27, 2004) -- This spring, Ohio University students are winning a number of competitive scholarships and fellowships that allow them to travel internationally, conduct research and receive support to follow their academic pursuits.

Revati Prasad, an Honors Tutorial College senior majoring in journalism and political science, has been selected as a Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Junior Fellow. The program is designed to provide a substantive work experience for students who have a serious career interest in international affairs. Junior Fellows are matched with government officials, lawyers and journalists to conduct research, participate in meetings and engage in projects concerning such issues as democracy building, trade and environment and international economics.

One of only 8 to 10 students selected for this highly prestigious award, Prasad will spend one year in Washington, D.C., working on a non-proliferation project at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Prasad's future plans are to work as a foreign correspondent and to attend law school in hopes of practicing international law.

Jack Steiner, a sophomore majoring in astrophysics in the Honors Tutorial College and applied mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been selected as a recipient of the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship. This award, designated for students interested in careers in science, math and engineering, provides students with $7,500. Steiner will receive this award for two years.

Mandy White, a senior in the Honors Tutorial College who is majoring in classics, has been selected for one of 92 Andrew W. Mellon Fellowships in Humanistic Studies. The foundation, established to develop humanist educators of outstanding promise, offers support to students preparing for careers in teaching and scholarship. White will receive a tuition grant and a $17,500 stipend for her first year in graduate school. She will begin pursuing her doctorate. in classical and near eastern archaeology next year. Her future goals include designing museum exhibits and teaching.

Jessica Benson, a senior majoring in physics in the Honors Tutorial College and mechanical engineering in the Russ College of Engineering, has received a National Science Foundation Graduate Fellowship. This award provides support for three years of graduate study, including a $27,500 annual stipend and a tuition grant. Benson also received the Marshall Scholarship and will be studying at Imperial College in London for the next two years. There, she will pursue a Ph.D. in experimental solid state physics, specializing in organic photovoltaics. Benson has aspirations of gaining a position in a research laboratory or eventually working in academia.

Alethea Kimmel-Guy, a junior majoring in environmental geography in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a Morris K. Udall Scholarship. The Udall honors students of outstanding potential who are planning to pursue careers in environmental public policy. A non-traditional student who has served on the Ohio University Ecology and Energy Conservation Committee and the Environmental Audit Team, Kimmel-Guy was also recently selected as a McNair Scholar. One of only 80 Udall scholars selected nationwide, she will receive $5,000 and will attend a Udall Scholars' weekend in Tucson, Ariz., this summer. Kimmel-Guy's plans for the future include pursuing a doctorate in geography with a focus on energy and environmental issues and obtaining a position with a university.

Much of the students' success in receiving awards can be credited to the assistance they receive from the Ohio University Office of Nationally Competitive Awards (ONCA).

Prasad said, "Ann Brown at ONCA was phenomenal in helping me get the application together, prepare for the interview and was by far the most excited when I got the fellowship. As for my professors, they are so incredible and supportive."

"I would have been unable to win this award without the overwhelming support of the Geography Department and ONCA," Guy said.

Much of ONCA's success is a credit to the office's diligence. ONCA coordinates with faculty across campus to identify qualified students and then works with the students to help them through the application process. Applicants are given advice to help refine their written and oral skills to best articulate their goals and talents.

ONCA has been created to assist selected Ohio University students compete nationally for awards such as the Rhodes, the Truman, the Goldwater and Marshall scholarships. The office will support qualified students in all phases of their application processes for these nationally competitive awards, including the initial discussion of awards and brainstorming of ideas, the identification of faculty mentors and preparation for interviews.